Treacy Hogan
Thu 21 Dec 2006 at 00:11
TRUCKS finally began disappearing from Dublin’s streets after the €751m Dublin Port Tunnel opened a year and two hours late. After just 90 minutes in business, up to 1,200 HGVs had taken the most expensive ever shortcut through the capital.
After just 90 minutes in business, up to 1,200 HGVs had taken the most expensive ever shortcut through the capital.
And by late evening, there was a constant stream of trucks rolling into the biggest urban tunnel in Europe.
Traffic chiefs said there was a significant reduction in trucks around East Wall Road, Fairview and the approach to the Malahide Road.
Brendan O’Brien, of Dublin City Council traffic department, said that while traffic on the M50 was very heavy, the approach road from the tunnel exit on the M1 did not experience any major difficulties. Mr O’Brien said some HGVs were continuing to use the city quays, but this was expected. The traffic management strategy, which bans very heavy trucks from the city streets, does not start until next February.
He said traffic on the south quays was moving quite well and overall they were quite happy with the initial impact.
Up to 1,000 people attended the opening, including Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.
Operators admitted the opening of the tunnel to traffic scheduled for 1.30pm had to be delayed until after 3.30pm because of the time it had taken to clear the large volume of people from the plaza at the port end of the tunnel.
The delay left many hauliers backed up for several hours.
The guests were allowed to drive their cars through the tunnel, even though cars are banned for at least a month.
Operators of the new route had promised to open it after lunch, but insisted they had to delay this because of the large number of people attending the opening ceremony. The tunnel did not fully open for business until after 4pm.
“It took longer to clear than we expected,” said a tunnel spokesperson. Congestion on the M50 was at normal levels, even though extra trucks joined the stream in the late evening.
The Automobile Association (AA) said that after one hour, there was no significant effect on city traffic.
However, it said it was too soon to make a judgment, as the tunnel only fully opened just after 4pm.
The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) claimed congestion on the M50 would increase as a result.
The truckers said it was very anxious about critically important health and safety issues such as the wisdom behind the high levels of hazardous freight expected to use the tunnel, safety on the M50 and the decision to close key roads to HGV traffic wishing to travel to and from Dublin Port.
Hours after the official opening time had come and gone, three truckers could be seen waiting patiently in line at Dublin Port for the chance to become the first customers to use Ireland’s most expensive piece of infrastructure.
Finally, just after 3.30pm, they were given permission to enter. Within moments they had gone through the toll bridge and begun their 4.5km journey under city streets.
But at the far end, trucks sailed past the Whitehall entrance to add to city gridlock. The M1 end wasn’t open for business until almost an hour after HGVs entered from the Port.
As the evening wore on, a slow trickle of trucks could eventually be seen exiting, going on to join the M50.
There was no discernable difference in traffic on the country’s most notorious stretch of motorway. Traffic was backed up at the Blanchardstown roundabout – as is usual – and it will be some time before the impact of the tunnel will be seen.
